Toyota Prius Plug-In: Is 86 mpg Worth an Extra $10,000? (Slideshow)

Whether you are telling a story or throwing a dinner party, the goal is to leave your audience wanting just a bit more when it’s over, right? Toyota seemed to have taken that approach with the Prius Plug-In, a version of its popular hybrid hatchback that can travel longer distances on electric power alone.

For starters, I wanted more range from the car’s 4.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Fully charged it is supposed to let the driver travel 15 miles or so before the gasoline engine kicks in and the car reverts to operating like a standard Prius. In practice that’s often just short of getting you all the way to the office or to the mall and back exclusively on battery power.